260 MINUTES: In May 2012, partially out of boredom, Deschner started a project to come up with five minutes of new standup material a week for a year. “This project would’ve never happened if I had a Netflix account,” he jokes.

PUT THROUGH THE PACES: Deschner’s preferred method is to record jokes first on a voice memo. “Then I pace through my apartment and talk it out,” he says. “If I can make it funny in that context, I write it down.”

MINING FOR JOKES: Coming up with 260 minutes of material in a year forced Deschner to dig into some places he normally wouldn’t touch (for comedic inspiration, at least): history books and definitions of his name on Urban Dictionary. “That’s not something I would try before,” he says.

THE GOLDEN 60: Deschner is ready to whittle down his year of material into a full show, and the comedian, who also hosts the monthly Red Carpet Comedy show at Lolita’s Lounge, will be recording the special on Saturday.

THE TAKEAWAY: “Dealing with new stuff no longer has an impact on me,” Deschner says. “That’s a big mental hurdle you have to get over as a comedian: sometimes you’re just not good, sometimes it’s just not funny. I realized there isn’t one set that will make or break you.”

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